How to Tie Dress Shoes the Right Way for a Clean, Sharp Look

Here's something most people never think about: a beautifully polished pair of Oxford shoes, a sharp suit, and then... a sloppy, lopsided bow flopping around on top.

The whole look falls apart. And the frustrating thing? It's completely avoidable.

Knowing how to tie dress shoes the right way is one of those small details that separates a genuinely well-dressed person from someone who just looks like they tried. It's not complicated. But it does require a bit more thought than what most of us learned in kindergarten.

This guide covers everything: lace types, lacing methods for different shoe styles, and the correct way to tie that final knot so it sits clean, flat, and stays put all day.

Why the Way You Tie Your Dress Shoes Actually Matters

A poorly tied pair of laces can completely undermine an expensive shoe. A quality pair of leather shoes can actually fail to make a good impression if the shoelaces are tied wrong. Think about that for a second. Hundreds of dollars in footwear, undone by a bad knot.

The correct technique results in a balanced knot that sits horizontally and stays secure, rather than running vertically from the toe to the heel, which is both unstable and aesthetically off for a clean dress shoe.

Beyond looks, there's a comfort angle too. A correctly tied shoe fits more snugly and stays tied longer, which means no embarrassing mid-meeting re-tying moments.

Step One: Start With the Right Laces

Before even thinking about technique, the laces themselves matter enormously. This part gets skipped constantly, and it really shouldn't.

Round, waxed cotton laces work best for dress shoes because they present a reserved appearance and serve to maintain the formal aesthetic of styles like Oxfords. They also tend to stay tied, unlike polyester laces, which are slippery. The slightly shiny appearance of waxed cotton also adds a touch of flair while the wax prevents fraying.

Here's a quick breakdown of lace types and when to use them:

Typically, the thinner the laces, the better the quality, because they still need to perform well and not rip. Thin and sturdy is the sign of a high-quality round shoelace.

On color: keep it simple. The closer the color of the shoelace is to that of the shoe, the more formal and unassuming the ensemble will look. Black Oxford with black shoelaces, brown Derby with brown shoelaces. That's the rule. Anything else is a stylistic choice and should be made intentionally, not by accident.

Step Two: Match the Lacing Style to the Shoe

Not all dress shoes are laced the same way, and this is where most people go completely wrong. There are two primary types of laced dress shoes: Oxfords and Derbies. They look similar but have different lacing systems, and they need different approaches.

Oxford Shoes: Use Straight Bar Lacing

Oxford shoes use a closed lacing system, where the vamp is sewn to the quarters so that the entire shoe upper feels like one continuous piece. Being a formal shoe, Oxfords should only be straight-laced to preserve the clean, neat look.

Straight bar lacing gives shoes a neater, cleaner look and a more formal appearance than the criss-cross method because the laces don't cross over the tongue. The only visible lace is the crossover at the top. It's minimal, intentional, and genuinely elegant.

How to do straight bar lacing on an Oxford:

• Insert both lace ends through the bottom eyelets, running horizontally across the outside of the shoe.
• Pull both ends up from underneath so they're roughly equal in length.
• Take the left lace and thread it straight up the inside to the next eyelet on the left, then across horizontally to the right eyelet.
• Repeat going upward: always threading across on the outside, up on the inside.
• Continue until all eyelets are filled and the laces emerge from the top pair.

The result is clean horizontal bars across the shoe's tongue. No diagonals visible from the front. Very sharp.

If straight bar lacing is the style, the shoe underneath needs to be worth it. Browse the Boardroom Classics formal men's shoe collection at Gotaar for Oxfords and dress shoes built exactly for this kind of sharp, structured finish.

Derby Shoes: Criss-Cross Works Well Here

For Derby shoes, criss-cross lacing is perfect, although bar lacing is also perfectly acceptable. However, with Oxford or Balmoral Boots, the criss-cross doesn't allow the sides of the shoe to fully adjoin and simply looks less elegant.

Straight bar lacing gives the shoe a sleeker and more formal look, but due to the limited movement of the laces, it's harder to adjust and tighten on a Derby style. So for everyday Derby wear, criss-cross is practical and still looks great.

How to do criss-cross lacing on a Derby:

• Thread both lace ends into the bottom eyelets from outside to inside, forming a straight horizontal base.
• Take the left lace and thread it diagonally to the right eyelet just above, going under and out.
• Take the right lace and thread it diagonally to the left eyelet just above.
• Repeat, alternating, until reaching the top eyelets.
• Both ends should emerge from the top eyelets pointing outward.

For those who wear dress shoes in a more relaxed, everyday setting, the Urban Gentleman men's casual shoe collection at Gotaar offers styles that sit perfectly between smart and casual, and respond well to criss-cross lacing.

Step Three: Tie the Knot Correctly (This Is Where Most People Fail)

Here's the honest truth: most adults are still tying their shoes with a granny knot. It's what was taught in childhood and nobody ever corrected it.

With a granny knot, the bow lies vertically from the toe to the heel rather than horizontally across the shoe. There's also a higher chance the laces will come undone, and it looks a little off when wearing a clean dress shoe.

The fix is actually very simple. It comes down to one small change in the starting knot.

The Correct Basic Knot (Balanced Bow)

• Cross the laces to form the first half-knot. But here's the key: instead of crossing left over right as usual, cross right over left (or whichever direction produces the second knot going in the opposite direction)
• Form one loop and wrap the other lace around it, then pull through
• Pull both loops in opposite directions firmly.

The result? The knot mimics the shape of a bow-tie, the laces won't come undone, and the shoe fits more snugly, providing comfort and preventing injury. The bow should sit horizontally across the shoe, not diagonally or vertically.

The Berluti Knot: For Serious Formality

The Berluti Knot is a refined, clean, and professional-looking knotting style. Dress shoes carry it better than any other lacing style. It's the choice for weddings, black-tie events, or any time the shoes need to look absolutely impeccable.

It involves making two loops and crossing them over to opposite sides rather than the standard wrap-around method. It takes a bit of practice, but once learned, it looks noticeably more polished than a standard bow.

The Double Knot: Practical and Still Clean

For a long day at work or an event where there's no time to retire, a double knot is smart. Just make sure the loops stay small and even. Keep loops small and even to avoid oversized bows that slip during movement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the things that quietly wreck an otherwise great look:

• Asymmetrical loops. One loop big, one small. It reads as careless immediately.
• Using the wrong lace type. Bulky or athletic-style laces clash with formal shoes. Always go for waxed cotton for dress shoes.
• Lacing too loosely. The shoe should sit snug. Floppy lacing gapes the tongue and looks undone.
• Factory lacing on new shoes. The factory lacing used in shoe shops gives the appearance of bar lacing but actually moves in a zigzag manner on the inside, creating asymmetry. It's not advisable to keep shoes laced this way. Replace them properly when the shoes are new.
• Wrong length laces. For dress shoes with 3 to 6 pairs of eyelets, an 80cm (32 inch) shoelace is the perfect length. Shoes with more pairs of eyelets may require slightly longer laces between 90cm and 100cm.

Quick Reference: Which Method for Which Shoe?

One Final Thing Worth Noticing

The whole point of getting how to tie dress shoes right isn't obsessive perfectionism. It's that the shoes are already making a statement, and the lacing either supports or undermines that statement. Gotaar's Boardroom Classics formal men's shoe collection carries the kind of structured, polished Oxford and Derby designs that genuinely reward proper lacing technique; clean, straight bars on a well-made shoe look dramatically better than the same style laced carelessly. Clean, straight bars on a well-made Oxford look dramatically better than the same shoe with haphazard criss-cross lacing and a lopsided bow.

The shoes do most of the work. The lacing just needs not to get in the way.

Get it right once and it becomes automatic. That's the thing about style details: they only feel complicated until they don't.

A sharp pair of formal shoes deserves an equally sharp bag to go with it. The Elite Carriers men's work bag collection at Gotaar is worth a look for anyone putting together a complete, boardroom-ready outfit.

FAQs

What is the best way to tie dress shoes?

Straight bar lacing is considered the best method for a clean and formal appearance.

Can criss-cross lacing be used for dress shoes?

Yes, especially for less formal styles like Derbies, but it is not as refined as straight bar lacing.

How tight should dress shoe laces be?

They should be snug enough to hold the foot securely without causing discomfort or distortion.

Do lace types matter for dress shoes?

Yes, thin, round laces are generally preferred for a more polished and formal look.